Riker goes to the phaser range, where he and CaptainPicard get in some phaser practice. Picard comments that Starfleet thinks it would be a good idea for someone from the Enterprise to participate in the exchange program. He also notes that there is a Klingon vessel, the Pagh, in the area. Riker gets the idea, and volunteers to be the one to participate in the exchange because "nobody's done it before".

Act One

"Captain's Log, Stardate 42506.5. We have departed from Starbase 179 and are headed for a rendezvous with the Klingon vessel Pagh. I have informed the staff of Commander Riker's temporary assignment."

"I envy you, Mr. Riker."

Riker talks to Worf about the assignment, asking him if it is true that one of the duties of the first officer is to assassinate his captain when he becomes weak or unfit. Worf confirms this, saying the system has worked successfully for centuries.

On the bridge, Mendon walks around commenting on what the crew are doing and suggesting he has a more efficient way. In Ten Forward, Riker is testing out Klingon food such as pipius claw, heart of targ and gagh, watched by Pulaski. Picard arrives to wish him well, but isn't tempted by the Klingon food, even though Riker seems to enjoy it.

On his way to the transporter room, Worf gives Riker an emergency transponder, just in case. The Pagh arrives, commanded by Captain Kargan. As arrangements are made to transport Riker, Mendon notices something in a scan of the Pagh's hull. It is some form of subatomic life unknown to the computer. As Riker beams over, O'Brien wishes him good luck.

Act Two

"Observe your station, Ensign Mendon!"

The Pagh leaves and as Picard heads for the observation lounge, Mendon tries to tell him about his procedural changes, but Picard brushes him off, telling him to report to Worf. Riker is brought to see Kargan on the bridge of the Pagh. He asks Riker if he can trust him in the same way he trusts the rest of his crew. He replies that he will serve the ship and obey his orders. Klag, the second officer says that he doesn't believe Riker and that he challenges his authority. Riker beats up Klag in a fight, after which he accepts Klag's position.

On the Enterprise, Worf reports an unknown substance on the hull. It is a subatomic bacteria that doubles in size every fifteen minutes and feeds on the materials in the skin. Mendon says he noted it before on the Pagh, and Picard admonishes him that he should have reported it. Mendon is surprised, saying the Benzite way would be to wait until he has a full analysis. Picard tells him he should have followed Starfleet protocol and to continue with the analysis.

Act Three

"First Officer's Personal Log. I have been aboard the Pagh a short time but long enough to be impressed with the abilities and single-mindedness of the Klingons."

On the Pagh, Riker is in the mess hall, eating the very Klingon delicacies he studied for the assignment. One of the female Klingons eyes him up, while he eats bregit lung and rokeg blood pie. Klag offers him some gagh, which is still alive. This puts Riker off, and Klag teases him, saying that perhaps he would prefer to be breast-fed. They joke for a while, before Riker says that the Klingons were not as he expected, having a sense of humor, for example. The Klingons say the same thing about him.

Chow time

One of them says they are alike – he also has a father and mother. His mother is still alive, but his father was killed gloriously in battle at Tranome Sar. Riker asks about Klag's parents, and he tells him ashamedly that his father was captured by the Romulans and not allowed to die with honor. However he escaped and will die an old man on Qo'noS, weakened, useless and without honor. He tells Riker he doesn't talk to him anymore, but Riker urges him to try, as nothing is impossible.

On the Enterprise, Data says that the organisms feed on the compounds in the hull, and that the Pagh is more susceptible than they are. Picard orders an intercept course with the Pagh. Kargan calls Riker to the Pagh's bridge, showing him a hole in the hull. He tells him it's due to a space organism. They have no way to repair it, and in eight hours too much of the hull will have been lost. He questions Riker why the Enterprise conducted an intensive scan of the area for two minutes, but Riker doesn't know why. Kargan orders the ship cloaked and an intercept course set to destroy the Enterprise.

Act Four

Meanwhile, Wes talks to Mendon, who feels he made an error and failed in his task. Wes cheers him up, saying that he discovered the organism and that it wasn't his fault. The hole in the Pagh has become bigger and Kargan sends Riker to engineering to check on the situation. Klag tells him he thinks that Riker does not know anything about a plot. He may be a spy, but he's no coward.

"I thought you could use a friend."

Riker returns, the tactical officer reports that the Enterprise is on an intercept course. This convinces Kargan that the Enterprise is hostile, and he orders a full battle alert and the photon torpedoes armed. The Enterprise searches for the Pagh, Data concluding that it is either cloaked or destroyed.

Riker tries to convince Kargan that the Enterprise is trying to help them. He won't listen, and tells Riker that since he gave his word he should tell him the surest way to attack the Enterprise. Riker refuses point blank, saying he has also sworn an oath to Starfleet, which he won't break. Kargan pressures him, and Riker says he will obey his orders, but won't break the oath. Kargan then admits that if he had told him the Enterprise's secrets he would have killed him where he stood.

Mendon has isolated the organisms, and concluded they can be removed using a tunneling neutrino beam. Picard orders this information be added to the hail being broadcast. When the Pagh notes the new message, Kargan still doesn't believe the Enterprise.

Act Five

"Captain's Log, Stardate 42507.8. Although our search has been extensive, we are still unable to locate the Klingon ship or any evidence of its destruction."

"Riker has no honor!"

Due to the lack of debris, Data says the Klingon ship must be cloaked, so Picard raises the shields. Kargan orders the torpedoes readied, and Riker tells him to wait until the distance to the Enterprise is 40,000 kilometers. Klag comments that Riker is honoring his promise. Riker says he still questions Kargan's judgment. Then he takes out the emergency transponder and switches it on. He gives it to Kargan when he asks to see it.

Worf detects the signal, and Picard orders O'Brien to lock on to the signal and beam Riker out as soon as possible. He decides to wait until they are within 40,000 kilometers. Kargan is beamed off before the order to fire can be given. He materializes on the bridge, and pulls out his disruptor, whereupon Worf stuns him with his phaser. On the Pagh, Riker tells a bemused Klag that he has relieved Kargan of his command. Now he is the captain. He orders the ship to be decloaked, and hails the Enterprise.

A familiar face

He demands that Picard surrender, and Picard agrees with a smile. Picard orders a very angry Kargan beamed back to the Pagh, and repairs started on its hull. When Kargan returns, he tells Riker he is back in command. Riker growls at him, so Kargan sends him flying with a punch, regaining some of his dignity in the process. He tells Klag to get him off his ship. As Klag helps him up, he concedes that Riker may know more about Klingons than he thought.

As the Enterprise finishes repairing the hole in the Pagh, Riker returns. Picard congratulates him, and tells him to go to sickbay. As Worf escorts him there he welcomes Riker home.

Log Entries

Memorable Quotes

"He is not very attractive, but I will have him."

- Vekma

"Actually, I just welcomed Ensign Mendon on board. He certainly seems eager to please."
"Well, that's a Benzite trait."

- Riker and Picard

"What is that?"
"It's a Klingon delicacy: pipius claw. This is heart of targ. This, of course, is gagh."
"Gagh?"
"Yeah, serpent worms. You'd like some?"
"No thanks."
. . .
"Will…I'm familiar with the practice of the feast before the transfer. I've done it dozens of times. However, I usually made more palatable choices."
"Well, these are the more palatable choices."

"If Klingon food is too strong for you, perhaps we can get one of the females to breast-feed you."

- Klag

"They are inquisitive. They wonder how you would endure."
"Endure what?"
"Them."
. . .
"One, or both?"

- Klag and Riker, after one of the female officers makes sexually suggestive remarks about the latter

"I will not see him! [his disgraced father]"
"He's your father!"
"A Klingon is his work, not his family; that is the way of things!""He's your father!"
"Klingons do not express... ...feeling the way you do!"
"Perhaps you should."
"We would not know how!"
"Yesterday, I did not know how... ...to eat gagh!"

- Klag and Riker, as the latter takes a bite of live gagh

"Enterprise, this is Captain William Riker of the Klingon vessel Pagh. I order you to lower your shields and surrender."
"Lower shields. Surrender as ordered."

- Riker and Picard, after the former takes command of the Klingon ship

Cast and characters

John Putch, of course, had played the identical Mordock in "Coming of Age". On being cast for this episode, Putch recalled, "I was all very impressed by that. I thought, 'Ah, they love me, they love me.' What they really loved was that it was me, because they'd spent all that money on making that blue head and it was form fitted to me...I don't fault them for that. I would have done the same thing, but it's funny how you are naive about these things when you're just an actor." [1]

Continuity

Dirty Pair in-joke (lower right corner)

A momentary reference to the Japanese series Dirty Pair is made on a Bridge Science Station monitor when Mendon first observes the sub-atomic bacteria on the Pagh, after being chastised by Worf. The reference takes the form of "OP KEI" and "OP YURI", and is located beneath "QUARK POPU(LATION)" in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

A Klingon Officer, J'Dan, used the program to serve aboard the Enterprise-D and attempted to gather its information to hand over to The Romulans in "The Drumhead".

The Pagh is said to be armed with phasers. Typically Klingons have been shown to employ disruptor weapons.

Reception

This was the last of five Star Trek projects to be adapted into View-Master reels.

Maurice Hurley recalled, "'A Matter Of Honor' was just a good idea. It dealt with a social problem. One of the things that the old Star Trek did which the new Star Trek can't do as well, was make comments on issues...You take a show like 'A Matter Of Honor' and say, 'We're going to do a little culture swapping,' so we explore what it must be like to be the only black face in a room of forty white people. That must be kind of tough. That's what Worf, in a sense, is doing. He's the only Klingon on a basically Human ship. So we said, 'Let's spin it. Let's put somebody on an all Klingon vessel and see how that works.' What's it like to be a fish out of water? What is it like to be the only white face in a meeting in Harlem? That's got to be a little funny, a little different, a little tense. That's how that show started, it was a way to look at a contemporary social problem and give it a spin." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages)

For Hurley, a key scene was where Riker sits down to a meal aboard the Pagh. "The Klingon says he's surprised at Riker because he has a sense of humor. Riker looks at him and says, 'Son of a gun, I was thinking the same thing.' If Riker had said, I'm surprised you guys have a sense of humor,' it wouldn't have meant anything. But spin it, and all of a sudden it became the point of the whole show." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages)

Director Rob Bowman remarked, "Jonathan Frakes and I really got into that episode. That was a fun one to do. I think Jonathan was waiting to do something that was rough and had action, and it also had the bonding between he and Klag. Every day was Jonathan and I doing high-fives and trying to put forth on film all the energy and spirit and adventure that was in that script. It was great to do. I guess there's a spirit inherent in the Klingons that seems to push it forth in a certain direction with the characters and with the camera. I was going through my divorce at that time, and was escaping into the world of space for some happiness. Probably helped me to concentrate a little better. I know I was very aggressive at that point, so we put that on screen. When we did the fight on the bridge, I wanted to be as rough as I could possibly make it. We even had to pare it down a bit, because what we had in mind was too much." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages)

"A Matter of Honor" was given a 12.2 rating on the Nielsen Television Index, the highest rating to that point on TNG, making it one of the most watched episodes of the series at that time. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)

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